


That would be enough...

by derivedfromstrong



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Pregnancy, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 14:39:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18471004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derivedfromstrong/pseuds/derivedfromstrong
Summary: A snippet of life for Tony and Pepper in a post-IW world





	That would be enough...

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been dealing with horrible writer's block, but I had been wanting to write this piece for a while now and I'm so glad I finally got it down. Based on the song (of the same name) from "Hamilton", this takes place pre/mid-Endgame… though, I doubt this actually happens in the movie. Thank you for reading!

_Look around, look around at how lucky we are_  
_To be alive right now  
_ _Look around, look around_ _…_

It was true that no one was the same since the decimation, now that half of the living population was gone. But she could’ve sworn Tony took it the hardest. Even as the months went by, nothing helped. No one seemed to know how to undo what had been done. It crushed Pepper to see the man she loved slowly fade away, but this wasn’t new to her.  
  
The last time Pepper had seen Tony this beaten and broken down was when he walked off the plane back in 2008. It was the year he became Iron Man. The year she began to realize she loved him. Now when she looked at him, all she saw was sadness.

“Tony?” Pepper quietly made her way downstairs to the lab. Since he came home, they had been living with everyone else at Avengers HQ. It wasn’t how she anticipated their newlywed life, but she knew it was necessary to be around everyone else while they navigated through this post-apocalyptic world. Finding him sitting in front of a computer screen, she sighed softly. “Tony, you should come back to bed.”

Turning around in his chair, Tony shook his head. “Did I wake you?”

Pepper shook her head. “No, this little one did,” she said, smiling ever so lightly as she cradled her swollen stomach. “Tony, it’s the middle of the night. What are you working on?” Making her way over to her husband, she carefully sat in his lap, smiling as Tony wrapped his arms around her.

“We’re so close, Pep…” Tony murmured against her. He knew what he was saying was just an empty promise to himself - it had been just over a year since the decimation and they were still pretty much at square one, but he had to keep up hope. “I can’t stop until it’s done.”

“I know,” Pepper ran her hand through his now-graying hair. She had never given up hope that he would return from space, so she wasn’t going to give up on this collective dream that they’d be able to get all their friends back. “I know you’ll keep fighting until it’s done…”

“But that’s the problem. I can’t guarantee it’ll ever be done, Pep.” Tony cut in, looking up at her with those big, sad brown eyes. “How can I raise a child knowing I couldn’t do anything to bring them back?”

“You deserve a chance to meet your son,” she said softly. Taking one of his hands, Pepper placed it gently on her abdomen. She knew it was hard for Tony. She saw the heartbreak and worry in his face when she told him she was pregnant, but the Tony Stark she knew wouldn’t give up. Not yet. It was a miracle he was still here, but she knew there was a reason for it. “Just stay alive… that would be enough."

“What if it’s not enough?” Tony hung his head, resting it against Pepper’s shoulder. “What if all of this is for nothing? What kind of dad would I be?”

“Even if the world doesn’t go back to normal, just knowing that our child has your smile or half of your mind… that would be enough.” Leaning in to kiss him gently, Pepper slid off of Tony’s lap and took his hand. “Come on, back to bed.”

_I don't pretend to know_  
_The challenges you're facing_  
_The worlds you keep erasing and creating in your mind_

_But I’m not afraid…_  
_I know who I married_

Pepper waited for Tony to get into bed before climbing in next to him and curling up in his arms. She could feel his heart racing, knowing he was still thinking about the next step. Turning to look at him, she kissed his forehead. 

“Tony, I know you won’t stop trying to find a way and that’s okay, because at the end of all of this, I just want you to come home,” Pepper told him. “I want you to be here when our son is born and I want you to be in his life. Let this moment be the first chapter of our life together… where you get to  _stay_.”

Leaning in to kiss his wife’s cheek, Tony rested his head against her temple. “I love you, Pep.” Even though he knew he wasn’t going to sleep, Tony closed his eyes and held her close. He wanted to be there for Pepper and for their son when he was born… but he wasn’t going to stop looking for a way to bring everyone back.

Closing her eyes, Pepper allowed herself to fall asleep with Tony beside her once again. She knew this wasn’t going to be over until everyone came back… but she’d deal with that tomorrow. For now, she’d take this moment right here. 

_And I could be enough_  
_And we could be enough  
__That would be enough._

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Tony Stark or Pepper Potts, they belong to Marvel. I also used the song "That Would Be Enough" from the musical "Hamilton" as the source of inspiration for the fic, I did not write the lyrics used. This fic has not been beta'd. Thank you for your support!


End file.
